Apex Legends Drops Steam Deck Support Over Rampant Cheating
EA and Respawn Entertainment are making a change to Apex Legends that will no longer allow players to access the game via Linux OS, including Steam Deck using Linux.
The developers announced the shift away from Linux support in a post on its website. Although it’s a move that will no doubt surprise those affected, EA says dropping support for the OS option is part of the company’s wider initiative to maintain “competitive integrity” and fight off cheaters.
“In our efforts to combat cheating in Apex, we’ve identified Linux OS as being a path for a variety of impactful exploits and cheats,” the post says. “As a result, we’ve decided to block Linux OS access to the game. While this will impact a small number of Apex players, we believe the decision will meaningfully reduce instances of cheating in our game.”
EA calls Linux an “attractive” OS for those looking to cheat for a variety of reasons. The thought process behind the decision involved weighing the number of legitimate Linux players against the impact the growing number of cheaters has had on the average Apex Legend fan. While it’s unclear exactly how many players utilize Linux when playing Apex Legends, EA and Respawn say it’s a tradeoff they are willing to make.
The reason the team says it’ll be ending support for Steam Deck, which uses Linux by default, is that there is “currently no reliable way for us to differentiate a legitimate Steam Deck from a malicious cheat claiming to be a Steam Deck (via Linux).” However, if handheld users manage to install and use Windows on Steam Deck instead, they’ll be able to continue playing on the device. So, while the developers continue to crack down on cheaters plaguing the long-running battle royale game, all Linux users will no longer be able to enjoy the experience at all.
“To eliminate this cheat vector, we have made the decision to prevent access to the game for Linux users,” EA continues. “This means that Apex Legends will be unplayable immediately for those running this operating system.”
Apex Legends brought the Titanfall universe into the free-to-play battle royale world in 2019. We gave it a 9/10 in our review, saying that the experience’s “mix of exciting characters, excellent gunplay, and unmatched FPS movement keep it a consistently fresh thrill.” Although fans took the first-person shooter’s gameplay upon launch, it’s not been without its struggles. Respawn announced that it would make alterations to its Battle Pass model in July of this year but quickly reverted many changes after widespread outcry from fans.
Apex Legends Season 22, titled Shockwave, is currently wrapping up, with Season 23 set to soon continue a long run of seasonal updates. As for the far-off future, EA has recently confirmed that it has no interest in making Apex Legends 2.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
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